Patriots sharper on Day 2 of camp

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FOXBOROUGH — The weather was much more cooperative for the second day of Patriots training camp, with practice under clear blue skies and temperatures in the mid-70s. Not coincidentally, the second day was much sharper than the first, which was held in rain. Rob Gronkowski made an appearance, watching from the sideline, and Tim Tebow spent a good 20 minutes after practice working on his throws with a coach and wide receiver.

It’s no secret that Tebow isn’t the best practice player or seven-on-seven passer, and his deficiencies were on full display.

In one drill, two of his three passes were swatted down by racquets used at the line of scrimmage. He badly skipped a few throws in the dirt in other drills, at one point drew sarcastic cheers from the crowd. In 11-on-11 drills, he held on to the ball for 10-12 seconds before finally scrambling out of the pocket.

To his credit, Tebow threw a really nice deep ball to Lavelle Hawkins down the left sideline. Tebow spent 20 minutes working with a coach after practice, then snuck out the back entrance away from media and straggling fans.

ODDS AND ENDS

■ Thompkins, an undrafted rookie, took some reps with the first unit alongside Danny Amendola and Dobson. Kamar Aiken, who played mostly with the first unit on Friday, played mostly with the second unit on Saturday alongside Michael Jenkins, Josh Boyce, and others.

■ Brady, ever the perfectionist, emitted a primal scream after overthrowing a wide-open Matthew Slater on a deep pass.

■ Steve Gregory continued to take a few repetitions with the first unit at safety alongside Devin McCourty, while Dennard, Talib, and Kyle Arrington mostly worked with the first team at cornerback.

■ Rookie second-rounder Jamie Collins is being thrown right into the fire, getting work with the first unit at several positions, but mostly linebacker. Collins, who arrived at Southern Mississippi as a safety, could end up being the Patriots’ nickel linebacker used in pass coverage, even though he finished college as a pass rusher.

■ Cannon appears to have supplanted Connolly at right guard, at least for now. The rest of the offensive line is what you’d expect (L to R): Nate Solder, Logan Mankins, Ryan Wendell, and Sebastian Vollmer.

■ Punt returners: Leon Washington, Boyce, Hawkins, Amendola.

■ DT Tommy Kelly worked at several positions across the defensive line.